Course foundations

Leg 1 is the course material on social entrepreneurship and social justice. By the end of this semester, I hope that you are well-versed in both concepts and familiar with the ways that they overlap.

Leg 2 is skills: writing, research, and public speaking. In 13 weeks, I want you to be on a path to excellence in each of these.

Leg 3 is learning how to be a college student. There’s a lot to learn!

Each of these legs will map, more or less, to each of our three meeting days. So on Mondays, we will discuss course material; Wednesdays will be skills. Fridays, life at Middlebury.

Your grade will be based on how well you do in each of these areas (33% each, if you want to be exact). For the course material, you should show your mastery of the reading, your ability to listen to others, and your ability to connect. On skills, I will look for hard work and constant improvement. For the final leg, I anticipate a rich, honest self-assessment of your evolving identity and agency. This sounds fancy but it’s in fact basic: I want to see evidence – in your journal and elsewhere – that you are laying the foundation for the future you aspire to.